With all the rabid anticipation surrounding the PlayStation 3, it may sadden
many of you to hear that Japan will not be
the only territory that will face a cut in its launch numbers.

According to a GameSpot report, North
American retailer GameStop (who also runs EB Games) has received a launch
allocation that is less than its number of pre-orders.

On October 10, GameStop took PlayStation 3
pre-orders, which sold out nationwide within minutes. Most stores limited
pre-orders to eight units, which was based on original Sony estimates on
availability.

Now, it appears that many GameStop stores will be unable to honor its "launch
day" pre-orders. A GameStop representative confirmed this news, but had no idea
as to the extent of the supply shortfall.

"We are beginning to notify our customers that our initial shipment of PS3
systems will not be what we expected," the representative said. "As this is not
an ideal situation, we are asking employees to wait to purchase systems until
the second shipment. We are anticipating having systems to cover reservations
before Christmas."

Customers with PS3 pre-orders from GameStop can expect to be contacted by
phone shortly to confirm the status of their reservation. Those who will be left
out of the initial round on launch day will be given a consolation item of a
free used game or DVD of choice valued at $19.99 or less.

This development will have a ripple effect on those who have sold their
pre-orders on eBay with the condition that the item will ship on launch day.
Many eBay bidders will be very unhappy to learn that the thousands
of dollars they spent on a launch-day PS3 will be facing delays.

Update: Analyst Colin Sebastian expects less PS3's on launch day than originally announced by Sony. He says:

"We expect Sony to deliver 150-200k units to stores in the United
States for the launch; consumers without pre-orders may find it
difficult to locate an available system. We estimate sales of
approximately 750k PS3s domestically by year-end. We expect a more
robust launch from Nintendo, with at least 1.2 million units sold in
the U.S. and up to four million units shipped worldwide by year-end."

To simplify more, he said exactly what you said. He said it first. He used more complex English (though not very) and you seemed to not understand. He was right. You were right. Except, that you called him dumb. Which makes you wrong, and right. Hooray!

As for posts about US English users not knowing the difference between your and you're , you're completely off your rocker. (See, correct usage.) I have yet to notice any geographical correlation to the misuse of pronouns in any country, though feel free to show me some studies if they exist. I'm always willing to learn. Rather, someone nailed it on the head pointing out that there is an age correlation that has something to do with text messaging from numeric keypads. Ding ding ding, we've got a winner (another correct usage!)

Now, let's bring a little religion in to further divide the posting populace... "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone" In other words, some people need to stop pretending we're perfect. I'm not. I probably have typos in this post. Oops. Sue me.

Last, back to the original post. Maybe the subtitle should read XYZ Games (Yes, I know that isn't the name, it's a substitute since I don't remember which retailer it was - bear with me) won't have enough PS3's to fulfill their pre-orders. Sure, I buy it. The title should be just what it is because, shockingly, the cause of XYZ games not having enough is BECAUSE Sony is shorting the US on launch numbers. If Sony said XYZ Games, you'll get 50,000 and instead only gives them 45,000 what would you call that if not a shortage. Now, perhaps, just perhaps Sony is ONLY shorting this particular retailer. Highly unlikely. Hence, the title of the article. It is much more likely that Sony is going to have a shortage and this will affect everyone.

What do you want? Journalism that has no spunk? The beauty of a site like this is that the people who write it live, breathe, and usually work in the industry. Meanwhile, you and I cannot. So, we come here to get the info that we wouldn't otherwise get. I trust the editors and writers here a lot more than I trust myself to be able to see the trends and implications of news and don't mind at all if they use their knowledge to their (and therefore our) advantage.

If you don't like it, go elsewhere. The Inquirer would love to have you, though it seems you don't appreciate them either. So, perhaps the wall street journal or something of that ilk? Good luck, I won't miss you too much.

"the people who write it live, breathe, and usually work in the industry."

Some of us readers actually do too ;-)

Anyway I agree that it is possible (but unproven) that Sony reduced the allocation to EB, and even if it did, that would not mean necessarily that other stores also get less or the totals are going to be less. Indeed my view is supported by the fact that no other retailers are yet crying about reduced allocation in stories like this. If all retailers were complaining of reduced allocation it would be reasonable to assume a vast reduction in total shipment, but I don't see that.

More likely, their loss (if there even was one and not pure EB miscalculation or wishful thinking) is more likely Walmart's gain (they claim to have AT LEAST 10 consoles per store), or maybe other retailers. Who knows how Sony will attempt to "fairly" distribute allocation?

My point is one retailer getting less in no way equates to a lower total, if anything "provokes speculation as to total."

The OP made a valid comment on the title, but did so insensitively which is why he was flamed and downrated for it.